Packaging apparatus for powdery, granular, flaky and other fluent solid materials



May 10, A G RQSE E AL PACKAGING APPARATUS FOR POWDERY, GRANULAR, FLAKY AND OTHER FLUENT SOLID MATERIALS Flled July 10, 1950 INVENTQRS' ATTORNEYS United States Patent 0 PACKAGING APPARATUS FOR POWDERY, GRANULAR, FLAKY AND OTHER FLUENT SOLID MATERIALS Alfred "German 'Ro's'e, James Arthur Kay, and James Page, Gainsborough, England, 'as'signors to Rose Brothers (Gainsborough) -Limited,fGainsborough, England, a British company Application July 1 0, 1950, Serial No. 172,861

Claims priority, application Great Britain July 21, 1949 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-302) This invention relates to packaging apparatus for powdery, granular, flaky and other fluent solid materials (hereinafter referred to as powder). The invention is concerned with the type of apparatus in which the powder is fed from a hopper to one or a succession of pockets having movable bases from which the charges of powder are discharged into containers. The pockets are made telescopic so as to be adjustable to vary the volume and thus the charge delivered to the containers. This type of apparatus will be referred to herein as the type described.

Because of the telescopic nature of the pockets, there is a tendency, particularly when packaging fine powders, for the powder to leak through the working clearance between the two members forming each telescopic pocket, and it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus in Which such leakage is minimised if not entirely obviated.

According to the invention, therefore, there is provided an apparatus of the type described, wherein there is formed between the contacting surfaces of the two members of the telescopic pocket an annular chamber to which air under low pressure is admitted. The air pressure must not be suflicient to cause any sensible turbulence in the powder being discharged from the pocket and may vary for powders of diiferent nature and/or density. Preliminary experiments have shown that for fine powders an air pressure of from 5 to 10 lbs; per square inch is sufficient to pass through the working clearance between the contacting surfaces of the telescopic pocket without causing any sensible turbulence in the powder in the pocket. It is found that the pressure chamber thus formed between the contacting surfaces of the pocket is effective in substantially preventing passage of powder through the working clearance between the walls of the pocket.

A sealing member may be provided between the pressure chamber, and the contacting surfaces of the two members of the pocket, such sealing members preferably being formed from felt or other permeable material so as to allow the air to ooze through the sealing members.

The invention may be used on any type of apparatus in which powder is fed to a telescopic pocket. It has been found useful, for example, in connection with the packaging apparatus described in our U. S. Patent No. 2,616,652 of November 4, 1952. The invention, as applied to such apparatus, will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawing which shows, in sectional elevation, part of an apparatus of the same general construction as that described in the specification mentioned above, to which reference should be made.

Referring to the drawing, powder 11 flows from a supply pipe 12 into a collecting chamber 13 from which it passes through apertures 14 in a rotatable apertured wheel 16 into pockets 17, 18 having movable bases 19 pivoted at 21. The bases 19 are opened at intervals to allow the powder to fall into discharge chutes 22 leading to cartons 23 2 movedinto position to receive the charges by a "conveyor chain 24.

The chamber -13 is arranged in an annular channel 26 the -walls of which extend upwardly of the wheel 16, and in the base of which are formed the apertures '14. The 'chamberf13-forms with the base of the channel 26-a'u enclosed chamber through which the pockets 1 7, 18'p'a's'sin succession, the chamber 13 being of such dimensions that a number of apertures 14 have access to the chamber at. the same time. Filling of the pockets 17, 1-8 th'us takes place over the period of time required for them to -pa'ss through the chamber.

The wheel 16 is carried by a series of pillars 27 secured to and extending upwardly from a chain wheel 28 forming one of the supports for the conveyor chain 24.

The chain wheel 28 is secured to a sleeve 29 forming part of the main driving gear for the machine. The wheel 16 carries the upper portions 17 of the pockets 17, 18, while the lower portions 18 (into which the upper portions are telescoped) are carried by an adjusting wheel 33 formed with a series of depending bosses 34 by which it is slidably mounted on the series of pillars 27. The wheel 33 is formed with a central hub 36 by which it is supported on a thrust bearing 37 carried by an adjusting sleeve 38 making threaded engagement at 39 with an adjusting shaft 41 extending co-axially with the chain-wheel 28.

The lower portion 18 of each pocket 17, 18 is formed with an annular air chamber 42 in a recess of which is arranged a felt sealing ring 43 in the inner surface of which engages the outer periphery of the upper portion 17 of the pocket. Air under low pressure is led to the chamber 42 of each pocket through a radial conduit 44 (of which there is one for each pocket) formed in the adjusting wheel 33, the conduits 44 being supplied through ports 46 from an annular conduit 47 which is fed from a central bore 48 of the shaft 41 through a common conduit 49 formed in a flanged member 51 secured to the sleeve 38. The air in the chamber 42 oozes through the felt sealing ring 43 and is effective in preventing the passage of powder through the working clearance between the walls of the pocket.

The wheel 33 carries a series of depending brackets 52 (one for each pocket 17, 18) each pivotally supporting at 53 a two-armed lever 54 the arms of which carry cam rollers 56 and 57 arranged, respectively, to engage stationary cams (not shown) mounted on the main framework 58 of the machine. The bases 19 of the pockets 17, 18, are provided with arms 59 each of which is pivotally connected to a spring toggle member 61 carried by the lever 54. It will thus be seen that, as the rollers 56 and 57 engage the earns, the bases 19 are opened or closed, as the case may be.

The chutes 22 are carried by arms 62 extending radially from a supporting ring 63 having a series of depending bosses 64 by which it is secured to the pillars 27. The chain-wheel 28 thus drives the wheels 16 and 33 and the ring 63 simultaneously.

The cartons 23 are guided into pockets 66 carried by the chain 24 in well known manner, the pockets 66 being provided with supporting bases 67 carried on arms 68 pivoted at 69 on the sprocket 28 and extending radially therefrom. The arms 68 are raised by a stationary cam 71 as the cartons approach the filling position so that their open ends embrace the mouths of the chutes 22.

Adjustment of the capacity of the pockets 17, 18 is brought about by rotation of the adjusting shaft 41 (either manually or by mechanical means) which causes the sleeve 38 to rise or fall (depending on the direction of rotation) so as to raise or lower the wheel 33 carrying the lower portions 18 of the pockets 17, 18 thus causing the pockets 17, 18 to telescope into or out of each other as the case may be.

-c e. m; .7 1. Apparatus for packaging fluent materials comprising at least one telescopic open-topped pocket with a movable base -for receiving and discharging successive charges of the material, the pocket being constituted by two members slidable one within the other and having the opposed surfaces of their telescopic walls shaped to form a substantially closed annular chamber bounded by portions of said surfaces and giving access to the sliding clearance between the surfaces, and a conduit in one of said members giving access to said chamber and adapted to supply air under low pressure to said chamber.

2 Apparatus as in claim 1, comprising a permeable sealing member between the telescopic walls of the'two members.

h 3 Apparatus as in claim 2, wherein the sealing member is formed from felt material.

References Citedin the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Gresham Dec. 17, 1889 Hoyt July 20, 1909 Jagenberg Aug. 29, 1911 Nielsen July 9, 1918 Grant Mar. 21, 1933 Frazier Jan. 17, 1939 Belcher Mar. 18, 1941 Fischer et a1. Apr. 14, 1953 

